NO ABORTION FUNDING IN THE BUDGET

NO ABORTION FUNDING IN THE BUDGET

Open Letter to the Illinois General Assembly

May 24th, 2018

On September 28, 2017, Governor Rauner signed into law House Bill 40, which authorizes the use of taxpayer funds for abortions through Medicaid and state employee health insurance. This new mandate is not eligible for reimbursement by the federal government, putting the entire cost on Illinois taxpayers.

House Bill 40 did not contain an appropriation; therefore, funding for elective abortions will come out of state Medicaid and health insurance funding.

No one knows how many more abortions there will be due to House Bill 40, but no matter the number, the principle is the same: our state tax dollars should not go to pay for abortion. You have the opportunity to ensure that no taxpayer money is used to end the life of any unborn child.

We are asking all members of the Illinois General Assembly to refuse to provide the means for House Bill 40 to accomplish its deadly consequences by including language in annual appropriations denying the use of tax dollars for elective abortions.

Due to our less-restrictive laws, in 2016 there was a 40 percent increase in the number of people coming to Illinois from out-of-state to undergo an abortion, forcing Illinois taxpayers not only to pay for abortions of Illinois citizens but of those from out-of-state. House Bill 40 will accelerate this trend.

January 25, 2010

Tens of Thousand of Pro-Lifers Fill San Francisco Streets

Sixth Annual Walk for Life West Coast: Tens of Thousands of Pro-Lifers fill San Francisco Streets

"It is up to us to stand, raise our voices, and protect the smallest." --- Lila Rose, 2010 Walk for Life West Coast

At least 35,000 peaceful pro-life walkers filled this city's waterfront, toddlers holding hands with grandparents and college students waving banners, as the largest crowd ever attended the 6th Annual Walk for Life West Coast, Saturday, January 23rd.

Frank Lee, coordinator of Asian Americans Pro-Life, led the rally in a prayer at the start, saying: "Every life is precious and should be cherished. We have a tough battle in front of us, but we shall overcome when we combine our efforts to make it a perfect whole!"

Students from San Francisco high schools and from Stanford, UC-Berkeley, St. Mary's of Moraga, St. Thomas Aquinas College, and Wyoming Catholic College marched alongside eight Catholic Bishops.

One hundred and twenty Catholic seminarians carried banners and Tom Martin, who worked for former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown before entering the seminary, said: "It's a great opportunity for the people of God to see that the seminarians are joining with them not only in praying for life, but also taking a stand."

Speakers included Abby Johnson, who worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years, walked away from her job as a Planned Parenthood clinic director in October after assisting in an abortion. Johnson said: "If you are here, you are an activist. We can no longer just say the words but must put our words into action." Johnson joined 40 Days for Life, a national prayer and fasting campaign outside abortion clinics. The Walk presented the St. Gianna Molla Award to David Bereit, national campaign director of 40 Days for Life.

Lila Rose of Live Action said "The fact that we have allowed abortion in this great nation, the killing of the most defenseless and weak among us has resulted in the greatest human rights abuse I believe our nation has ever seen. It is up to us to stand, raise our voices, and protect the smallest."

"If ever there was a time to 'seize the moment' in the interest of unborn babies, it is now," Evangelical preacher, author and theologian, Pastor Jim Garlow of San Diego, told the rally.

The Reverend Clenard Childress, founder of BlackGenocide.org, said "There is an obvious shifting in our culture and it stems from advances in the pro-life movement."

Walk for Life co-founder Dolores Meehan said "The tenacity of pro-lifers, showing up in their tens of thousands, despite a downpour, is a testimony to their commitment!"

The Walk for Life West Coast was started by a group of San Franciscans in 2005 to affirm the right to life from conception to natural death and particularly to change hearts hurt by the violence of abortion.